A RELUCTANT MEMSAHIB: At the Court of the Viceroy

Isabel’s letters and diaries provide a totally fresh impression of the extraordinary way the Indian Empire conducted itself, Not having worked their way up the ladder of the Indian Civil Service, the young couple were totally unprepared for life at the very top echelons of the British Raj. Seen through the fresh eyes of a liberally educated, middle-class London woman, she offers a first-hand account of Curzon’s battles with the India Office and Kitchener, and the hugely negative impact he had on Indians, which strengthened demands for Independence and helped set India on the road to partition. She takes nothing for granted and describes frankly what she saw, most especially the extraordinary social demands her husband’s role imposed on her and her struggle to balance this with her expectations as a mother.